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Asked why he is running for a second time Scott compared the situation in Ontario with a traffic accident he encountered a few years ago where past medical training allowed him to help those involved.

“Today I see the mess Ontario is in financially, a $260 billion to $300 billion debt… and I think, given my experience, how can I drive by?” said Scott, noting the debt is twice as large, per person, as that faced by Californians.

“As a province, we are very close to starting to borrow money from the equivalent of payday lenders. Everybody who has been around knows this is not the way to run your finances.”

Scott has no small amount of experience in the financial industry having an MBA at Queen’s University and having worked at Scotiabank and Chase Manhattan in major cities around the world.

Scott was head of Scotia Capital Markets Europe, managing director at Chase Manhattan and global head of Scotiabank’s precious metals business.

After returning to Oakville in 2001, Scott held key positions on the Federal Conservative Electoral District Association and the Oakville PC Party Riding Association.

Scott has also served as the Chief of Staff for Oakville MP Terence Young and managed Young’s successful election campaigns in 2008 and 2011.

Scott said he is confident with his extensive experience in finance and government, and believes he can make a difference at Queen’s Park as Oakville’s representative.

In addition to Ontario’s financial issues, Scott said he also wants to tackle unemployment, stating that one need look no farther than their own family to see it is a problem in the province.

“Both my daughters have gone to work in the United Kingdom. They are very good students, they both have Masters degrees and they both got jobs very quickly in their areas in London, which is a pretty competitive place. There were no jobs for them here in Ontario,” he said.

“My son is a chemical engineer…there are no jobs. He might have to go to Alberta or the United States. My objective is to make sure we create an environment here in Ontario where people want to be here, where people can work so my children can come back here. I think it is absolute insanity that we send some of our best and brightest elsewhere in the world.”

Scott ran against Flynn in 2011 and lost by 4,580 votes.

He said he expects things to go differently this time.

For starters, Scott said, he is familiar with campaigning and does not expect any curveballs — in 2011, he suffered a detached retina, which essentially blinded him in one eye, during the last two weeks of his campaign.

Scott also said he believes, now more than ever, the people of Ontario are ready for a change.

“The problems in Ontario have gotten worse and worse. My expertise is something the people of Ontario can take advantage of and I hope they will take advantage of,” he said.

“Ontario has always taken the lead in Canada. That has disappeared. We have become a have-not province.”

Scott said the Conservative platform makes a great deal of sense in that it focuses on fixing the economy first so funds will be available for important things like education and health care.

Married to his wife Donna for 35 years and father of three, Scott is an active leader in the Oakville community. He is a member of the investments committee of the Oakville Community Foundation and served as part of the United Way of Oakville leadership team.

He currently serves on the Board of Governors of Wilfrid Laurier University, where he received his undergraduate degree in Honours Economics. He is also a past director of Oakville Hydro.

When asked about the failed power plant designated for a residential area of Oakville by the McGuinty government, Scott was clear, “That gas plant was an ill-conceived plan from the beginning and should never have been taken to the point it did. It will now cost taxpayers in excess of $731 million to fix the mistake. We need a government with an energy policy that protects its citizens and the environment in a financially responsible manner while creating jobs in our province.”